


Wizard's Soul ~ Grand Awakening

by ShadowCluster



Category: Wizard's Soul ~ Holy War of Love, Wizard's Soul 〜恋の聖戦〜
Genre: Card Games, Gen, Prequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-21 17:39:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11949306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowCluster/pseuds/ShadowCluster
Summary: The world of Wizard's Soul is a mysterious one, where card games are a legitimate educational goal and multi-billion dollar industry.This story follows a fairly unique girl through her journey into Wizard's Soul.





	1. Framework in History

I do not own the work 'Wizard's Soul', that is in the ownership of the author Aki Eda.

 

#  **Wizard’s Soul Report**

In 1990, the International Association of Education in Japan funded a project revolving around the use of techniques in games to bolster their educational system, coining the term ‘gamification’. This is a response from the increased number of students who spend their leisure time on games, and the recent surges of technological development within Japan. Research and Development starts and implementation of the project starts off with 10 schools participating in the experiment. The iterations include:

 

\- A points system that students can earn points from completing certain tasks.

\- A direct educational benefit including scholarships and recommendations to higher education from active participation in the program.

\- These tasks include:

\- Completing surveys

\- Helping out teachers and staff

\- Creation and Compilation of educational resources

\- Helping out peers and kouhai with their work

\- Participating in club activities

 

In 1991, one year after initial implementation, the project has its funding reduced significantly, redirecting them to other facets. However, a company saw the opportunity bought the project under the pretences of continuing with improving the educational system with a higher level of understanding of how games work as a medium. With the pressure to succeed and no other funding sources, they accepted and gave full creative control over. After another 3 months, the new project is relaunched around a singular activity: The card game ‘Wizard’s Soul – Emergence of Innovation’.

 

This game teaches people about planning, sequence, decision making, memorisation and foresight. It also helps with mental arithmetic and communication skills, encouraging competition within a safe environment. The first edition features 600 unique cards and a newly introduced turn system.

 

After several years of discussion, experts have narrowed the success of the game down to three main factors:

  * **Educational Significance.** Doing well in this game directly impacts opportunities in the future.
  * **Monetary Gain.** Large volumes of cash circulates through spectators, participants, creators, shops and other services.
  * **It’s a Game.** What a lot of other projects that have attempted to capitalise in the gaming industry have failed to make a good game before other factors.



 

Due to the success, within 2 years, 10 asian countries have picked up in WS and implemented it into their educational systems. 3 Years later, Europe, America and Oceania also adopt WS as both an international sport and educational aid.

Despite the 10 Billion offer from an American Company to buy the project and continue, they have remained steadfast and continue to this day. The estimated net profit of the industry has risen to 35 Billion US dollars as of 2012, and they continue to release major expansions biyearly with minor expansions between them. A total of 18000 individual cards have been printed, and over 2000 erratas have been put in place for balance.

 

This is the end of the summary. Please look for the documents and references below for more information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, you seemed to have stumbled across this somehow. Anyway, thanks for reading and hope you stick around, maybe.  
> Updates will be sporadic at best and quality is not guaranteed. If you think otherwise, then continue reading and thanks for finding this.


	2. Prologue to Greatness

_1992, January_

 

Looking around the room for the umpteenth time I feel a premonition that I’ll spend the rest of my life here. The IV dripping and the clock ticking give the notation that the world hasn’t stopped, only I have. It is a bit depressing coming to terms with that, but I feel some comfort in how no-one will remember me.

You would expect me to want to do something with my life, with all the buzzing around of dreams and aspirations. However, I never had a need to do so. What is wrong about being average? What is wrong with not always winning, not always trying your best and just relaxing? Nothing, because being average is normal. If you are in the upper echelons, then you are a statistical anomaly.

'You Don't Know What You Have Until It's Gone', a statement that defines my situation. Long days in a white room, enough drugs to start a cartel, and all I have to entertain myself are studies and visits from strangers. Parents? I guess they qualify under that definition, if you stretch it a bit.  
Who am I? I’m Okada Hana, plain name right? I missed my two thirds of my first year of middle school already so I might as well be a transfer student if I start now. Even while not attending regularly I still get tests to do, assignments to complete and books I need to read. I’d hate to need to go through school again two or three years older than my peers, or worse yet have rumours going around to why that would be the case.

Breaking out of my stupor, I realise there’s an interview later today about a new program that I may or may not be interested in. The last one was a flop, but I didn’t really care because you could only do those activities at school. Who thought it’d be a good idea to give merit points based on voluntary activity? It’s discriminatory to us people who physically can’t I say! Though from what I’ve read of it, even though it is a voluntary program, if you score high enough, you are weighted the same as if you got full marks in your exams. If that didn’t scream shady I’m not sure what does.

Though depending on what it is, I may be able to cut back on my studies to participate in it. Did you just say that is an excuse to stop studying? No comment. If I were able to do something else with my time like reading novels or playing chess like the other patients, then I could proudly state that. Despite being over three quarters to my way to becoming an adult, I cannot see myself do anything in the future. My occupation will probably be something boring like a salaryman or a housewife. Not that I can think of anyone that would take me...

My own self-loathing came to an end with a knock at the door. I gestured to the air before I realise how dumb that was, and called them in. Two people shuffled in; one of the nurses and someone in a suit. A shady suit. He had a wide grin on his face, which meant I was in danger or it was a part of his job.

“Hello, you must be Okada-san. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” he said. It was rehearsed, but also meant he was a stalker or a part of the interview that was meant to happen today. I am leaning to the latter, but I was still wary.  
“I am here as a part of the supplementary program that will be implemented into your middle school. There is no criteria, just confirmation on whether you would like to participate or not.”

No criteria? That only meant they only wanted me for manpower, data or money. There had to be a catch somewhere…

“How much does it cost?” I ask. From the expression he had he didn’t expect that sort of response. I didn’t expect to ask that either. He looked away from me before facing me again with another rehearsed response.

“Why don’t we get started on what this program is about? If you have any questions that haven’t been answered, you are free to ask afterwards”. I only nodded in return, but his reply already told me a lot of what was to be expected. If it was free then he would have outright said it was. Free things are good, and if you wanted to hook in a middle schooler then you would go with that.

“This is a two player game called Wizard’s Soul. Essentially, you have to use your cards to beat your opponent. Do you know what cards are?” he asked. No shit sherlock. I suck at competitive games though, I never could get into them. Maybe because I had no friends or anyone to play with. Nope, definitely not the reason.

“So let’s start with the basics…”

\---

“And that’s the main point of the game. Reduce the opponent’s health to 0 while avoiding it done to you.” he ended with. Despite his appearance he knew how to sell a product. The rules of the game conveyed well and my interest was peaked. From the looks of things, many other students would likely sign up for it even if it wasn’t educationally beneficial.

“Now that that is over, what do you say? All you have to do is sign here and you’re in!” opening up his arms while he exclaimed out. I almost fell for it too, if I wasn’t me. Thank you me. You’re welcome, me.

“How much does it cost?” I repeated. He looked a bit shocked like last time, but replied almost immediately. Almost.

“The funding is taken care of by the school. You don’t have to worry about it.” he replied. He was telling the truth, even if it was only a small fraction of it. I just had to change the question.

“How much will the cost be for participation? Not everyone is participating, so it isn’t likely they’ll be charged”. He had cold sweat as he laughed awkwardly.

“The school will be paying-”

“I am not asking what the school pays you, I’m asking how much we are paying the school.” I directly said. He looked at me as if I wasn’t a middle schooler. As much as I wish I was reincarnated, I wasn’t.

“You’re parents will take care of it, they already know.” he stated roughly. I didn’t believe him of course. Gesturing him to be quiet, I pressed into the phone on my stand for my dad. I held it up to my ear as I stared at him the entire time, looking for his reaction. He was shocked at least. The dial tone went off twice before he picked up.

“Hana? It is unusual you’ll be calling. Is it about the interview?” a gruff voice spoke from the phone. Even though he was busy, he easily deduced why reasons to call. Maybe I got his ability in deduction, if that was genetic.

“How much does the program cost?” I repeated again. Maybe I was being rude but I wasn’t in the mood at the moment. This terseness meant it was more awkward to talk to people, but it got past all the fluffy talk I hear people use to lower down others’ guards. He knew it too, so I didn’t get reprimanded for it. He probably realised I didn’t care 2 years ago so he gave up.

“Don’t worry about the costs, we’ll cover it. It costs 20k yen, so if you do choose to partake, we expect results.” he replied. Well, that is to be expected. I looked over to the man in the room to see he took an unexpectedly keen interest in one of the sterile walls.

“Any other details I should know about? The guy they sent over isn’t saying much outside of the game.” I asked. I could see him flinch at the statement, not expecting this turn of events. Too bad for you.

“Hmm… The program itself is defined under supplementary examinations. It is available to everyone and gives you up to a 50% boost in your current academic scoring. There is also performance compensation if you do well, so we planned as additional motivation, any money you gain from this will go into your bank account.” he listed off. That’s my dad for you, serious about everything. The first time I collapsed he spent several weeks researching and investigating my condition. Well, that’s a story for another time.  
The money did have me intrigued though. If only I could actually go out and spend it.

“We’ll leave the decision to you. If you believe you can handle it, try it out. I also negotiated the trial period, so it is 3 months and not 1 month like in the contract. So you have 3 months to decide if you want to continue or not. Just remember to not let your academics slip in the meantime.” he stated as he hang up. I was a bit annoyed he didn’t ask if I had any other questions, but we understood each other well enough that I didn’t anyway. I docked the phone back onto the desk and saw him turn around.

“Are you really 12 years old? I feel like I’m talking to my boss again...” he inquired. I took some amusement without letting it show on my face.

“Well, it looks like I’ll be participating.” I spoke out in monotone, holding out my hand for the piece of paper he was trying to coax me into signing. He awkwardly handed it over, the liveliness he had in the beginning fading away. I finally had a look over it, and I had to avert my eyes. Pictures littered the piece of paper, fluffy words and promises of excellence filled in the rest of it. I could barely find anything my dad said in this amalgamation. I guess I just have to ask him on his research later.

I signed the document where it said ‘start your adventure today!’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, our protagonist is introduced and the framework for this fanfiction is set. I have several plans set out, but whether or not they can slot together I'll have to see. I hope I am consistent with the characters though, as many of these will be OCs (since the original work is fairly tight and doesn't have time to make irrelevant characters). I'll try to avoid cliches and I hope some of the scenarios are worth your time.


	3. Distinction

1992, February

“I attack, 1500 Damage.” I recited for the umpteenth time.

“I receive, you win...” the nurse copied back. Whether or not this is fun or not, I can’t tell. What I can tell is she seems to prefer to be with me under the guise of keeping me company.  
I guess that’s what you get for treating this as an educational activity; everyone leaves you alone and gives you anything you want. This was also good for her, because playing with me was equivalent to helping me ‘study’. Though, I guess that brings up something else I need to get back to. This game was strangely addicting, and having my grades fall would mean this program being terminated for me.

“Did the new textbooks come in?” I asked. Spending this much of my free time just staring at cards felt like I was wasting my time. A fun waste of time. Not that I liked studying, heck I would say I would be pretty dumb if I could get out of the bed and do something else. One of the upsides of these sterile walls. I feel like I have more memories here than I do of school.

“In fact they did. You want to learn some english?” she replied, dropping her hand onto the table. I collected my own cards and she did the same. English was something I wasn’t very enthusiastic about, being one of the subjects that I can’t find a reason to get invested. That and the weird inconsistencies and exceptions make it a nightmare to learn.

“I guess we should start with literature then?” she uttered. I guess my thoughts showed on my face. I never really noticed her before or really saw her as anything but another blank face in the hospital.

_~Flashback~_

_After he left the room with what he came for, I let go a sigh I held in for a while. He had left a stack of cards in a green casing as in an incentive for ‘early adopters’, which was nice of him if it wasn’t out of obligation. I had an urge to lash out on him before due to my irritation, but I kept this episode down, for today. Then I saw some movement from the side of my vision._

_A nurse carrying textbooks was there, staring at me. I noticed her come in but forgot her presence in my interlude with the interviewer. Noticing my stare back, she plopped the textbooks on my desk and excused herself before heading for the door._

_“Wait.” someone said. That someone being me. I wasn’t sure why I stopped her, but I had a feeling I would regret it if I didn’t. Maybe this is fate, or my mind starting to degrade with my body._   
_She turned around with a confused look. I wished as an introvert I could actually simulate scenarios that happen, and not ones that never do. If that were the case I could interact with anyone and everyone without hesitation. Wait, no time for these thoughts._

_“You were looking at these cards right?” I blurted out. I didn’t actually know, but she doesn’t know that. Wait, I don’t know if she does know I don’t…_

_She widened her eyes at least, but still was waiting for me. At least my bluff worked, now why did I stop her? A thousand thoughts were rushing through my brain, many more being introduced on if I could survive throwing myself out the window. Seeing how I was hesitating with cold sweat, she approached my bedside and sat down in the unoccupied seat._

_“Take your time” she said to me, softly. It was strangely effective, with my head clearing and body calming down. Taking a deep breath, I started again._

_“Are you interested in these cards?” I said. The look on her face shows she is, but she didn’t voice it out. Unravelling the pack, I took out the cards and laid them out on the bedsheet. Her gaze followed and fixated on them._

_“Is there a reason you are interested?” I asked. Her gaze swept over me again._

_“Aren’t they cute (Kawaii)?” she asked in response. All I could do was nod. This Green-centred deck had a whole load of forest creatures, including some rodents and mammals. They were detailed and as she said, looked cute. If I didn’t know any better, this was specifically to cater to girls like me. She reached over into the pile and singled out one of them._

_“ <Sugar Glider>, 500 Attack, 500 Health, Costs 1 Green, and has <Flying>?” she listed off the information from the card. I could understand the first three points, but what is Flying? I looked at the back of the card box and it listed the 4 Special Abilities on any of the cards. Flying meant it could only be attacked and intercepted by other creatures with Flying or Block? Makes sense I guess._

_The other three were <Block>, <Haste> and <Trample>. It was fairly easy to understand from a theoretical level, but I wouldn’t know until I start playing. She also started going through the other cards, skipping over a few of them that didn’t catch her attention._

_“You want to play?” I asked. She broke her attention from the cards and redirected it to me. I should elaborate before things got awkward._   
_“Not now, but since this is a two player game, it would be better than playing with myself, and all…?”_

_“Maybe, in the future. These look cute but I’m not sure if I’ll find it fun” she answered. Yup, that’s the response I thought she would give. No point doing an activity that doesn’t have any merit for you. I only have one deck though, and thinking about the scenario given within a school setting, this forces students to play against other students as a necessity of participating in the program. This was pretty smart, if they didn’t think about my circumstances of being literally isolated from the rest of the cohort._

_“I have to go now, but it is nice to see you more lively. You were always so, dull? In the past” she stated, walking out the door. A small smile crept on my face before looking back at the scattered set of cards. I guess this program is going to change much more than my academic standing._

_~Flashback end~_

I guess that would be my first social contact with the Nurse, and the point where I could look back and say it is the best impulsive set of actions I ever made. Not only did she act as a friend I can play with, she also tutored me on some of the subjects I procrastinated on. I would hesitate to call us friends though. She used me as an excuse to get away from her more optional responsibilities, and I used her as a way to improve myself. That and the age gap made it impossible to connect as equals. Symbiotic Harmony’ maybe. I never brought it up in the off-chance it would ruin our dynamic, but for now, she is the thing I look forward to as the days pass by.

After those rapid series of events, I convinced dad to buy me all the starter packs, though I only asked for one other one, He said something about the best possible start or something similar to that. At least I wasn’t one of those families strapped for cash. As a result, she used one of the other decks and we started to play. It was a bit slow to start, but we got into the rhythm of the game over the next few days. It was a bit embarrassing to misread what a card said and play incorrectly, but I blame the text for being too obscure.

“So, have you finished the book review yet?” she repeated, halting my reminiscence early. I groaned a bit, but I did get the draft done. She rejected the past three, saying things like ‘you don’t understand the author’s intentions!’ and ‘the colour of the walls means something!’. Colour-y description has never been something I could understand, because the criteria changes for every single situation. Promoting ‘show don’t tell’, it means you can get meaning out of things that weren’t the original intention of the author, or irrelevant details somehow being more important than actual dialogue.

“Here.” I tersely replied as I handed over the sheets of paper from my drawer. As she looked over it, my hands tidied up the cards scattered from our previous game. There were several times where we got cards from the other’s deck mixed into ours, which lead to be having to turn them all over to double check. After a few moments, she threw the stack onto the table and looked at me again.

“Rejected. You didn’t talk about the curtains at all! What about the change in music in the middle of this scene? Didn’t you see how she looked at him?” she listed off. What music!? Wasn’t this just a book? As always, she was reading too much into it. As a nurse with a literature major (don’t ask me), she was the best in this sort of analysis. It didn’t directly translate into being a good tutor though.

“Wouldn’t this get me above 90 anyway?” I groaned out, lying down and staring at the ceiling. Did this sort of thing also symbolise something? Like me staring towards the heavens and yearning for more?

“Doesn’t matter! Rejected, do it again!” the nurse berated. If only she was less overbearing like she is for math and science…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life has been busy, and this has taken a back-seat. Looking at my rate of progress, This may be between bi-monthly and a monthly thing, probably. Looking at how I can get stuck during writing, I would say there is a high likelihood I'll never get this fanfiction completed. Oh well, since you are reading this, thanks for being here.


End file.
